Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A technician configures a new managed switch in a small network. After connecting the switch to the existing switch via a single Ethernet cable, the link LED on the uplink port is solid amber. Devices on the new switch cannot communicate with devices on the existing network. The existing network has no loops and uses a single switch. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
The new switch has an IP address conflict
An IP address conflict affects Layer 3 communication but does not prevent Layer 2 connectivity. The link LED would operate normally; the issue here suggests a Layer 1/2 problem.
B
Distractor review
The new switch is in a different VLAN
If the new switch were configured with a different untagged VLAN ID from the existing switch, traffic might not pass. However, by default, most switches have all ports in VLAN 1. A different VLAN configuration is possible but less common than STP blocking.
C
Best answer
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is blocking the uplink port
STP is designed to prevent loops. When a new switch is added, STP may block the uplink port temporarily or permanently if it detects a topology that could cause loops. Solid amber LED is a typical indication of a port in STP blocking state.
D
Distractor review
The cable connecting the switches is faulty
A faulty cable would typically result in a blinking or off link LED, not a solid amber light. Solid amber often indicates a specific administrative or protocol state rather than a physical issue.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: an active trunk can still block the VLAN you need
A trunk being up does not prove every VLAN is crossing it. Check allowed VLAN lists, native VLAN mismatch, VLAN existence and access-port assignment.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
VLAN questions usually combine access-port and trunking clues. The key is to identify whether the issue is local to one switchport, caused by the trunk, or caused by the VLAN not existing where it needs to exist.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
- Trunk ports carry multiple VLANs between switches.
- Allowed VLAN lists decide which VLANs can cross a trunk.
- Native VLAN mismatch can create confusing symptoms.
TExam Day Tips
- Use show vlan brief to verify access VLANs.
- Use show interfaces trunk to verify trunk state and allowed VLANs.
- Do not treat every same-VLAN issue as a routing problem.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A user reports intermittent network connectivity on a desktop computer. The technician observes that the Ethernet link light on the NIC turns off for a few seconds and then turns back on. The cable passes a wiremap test, the switch port is verified good with another device, and the NIC driver is updated. The issue occurs more frequently when the computer's case fan runs at high speed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
Question 2
A workstation is unable to connect to the internet. The technician runs the 'ipconfig' command and sees the IPv4 address is 169.254.15.200 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. The workstation can ping other devices on the local subnet but cannot ping the default gateway or any external addresses. Which TWO actions should the technician take to resolve this issue? (Select two.)
Question 3
A workstation is connected to a managed switch. It obtains a valid IP address (192.168.10.50) from the DHCP server, but it cannot ping the default gateway (192.168.10.1). The link light on both the workstation NIC and the switch port are solid green. Other workstations on the same switch CAN ping the default gateway successfully. The technician accesses the switch management interface and finds that the workstation's port is configured as an access port on VLAN 10. The default gateway is located on VLAN 20. An inter-VLAN router is configured but not explicitly allowing VLAN 10 access to VLAN 20. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?
Question 4
A company develops a web application that relies on a custom library available only for a specific Linux distribution. They want to deploy the application in the cloud with minimal administrative overhead, but they need full control over the software stack, including the ability to install the custom library and configure the web server. Which cloud service model BEST meets these requirements?
Question 5
A company has a legacy virtual machine running on a deprecated hypervisor (Hyper-V). They want to migrate this VM to a new hypervisor (VMware vSphere) hosted in a private cloud while preserving the VM's configuration, installed applications, and data. The migration must be performed with minimal downtime. Which of the following methods is MOST appropriate?
Question 6
A company hosts a critical database on a virtual machine in a public cloud. The database requires persistent storage that must be retained even if the VM is terminated. The storage must also be accessible from multiple VMs simultaneously for a future high-availability configuration. Which type of cloud storage BEST meets these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 220-1101 question test?
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is blocking the uplink port — When connecting a new switch to an existing network, Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is activated by default on managed switches to prevent network loops. Even with a single cable (no physical loop), STP may initially place the port in a blocking state to check for loops, and in some configurations, the port may remain blocked if the switch detects a potential loop or if STP topology changes take time. The amber LED on many managed switches indicates a port that is blocking or disabled by STP. An IP address conflict would not affect Layer 2 connectivity directly. A different VLAN could cause issues, but VLANs are configured, not a default state; if untagged, all devices would be in the same native VLAN typically. A faulty cable would likely cause the link LED to be off or intermittent, not solid amber.
What should I do if I get this 220-1101 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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